The Army Men

Jim Cunningham an MP in Germany in the 1950s

George F. Cunningham  also an MP

The first Cuningham man I found to serve in the Army was George Cuningham. He served in the Revolutionary War from the New York area. His name was listed on the wall of the Old Syracuse Library on Columbus Circle. I don't know what is in that building now or where the beautiful engraved list of Revolutionary War soldiers is now located.



All three of my brothers, Jim, Freddie (George) and Greg (Judson) joined The United States Armed Forces. Jim and Freddie were both MPs.

Jim served out his entire service time. When he came home he suffered from a long illness from a service connected problem. He received 100% Veteran's Compensation and was entitled VA Medical all his life.

There will soon be added many pictures of Jim's army friends and pictures he took in Germany.

This one picture of Freddie is all I found. I am not sure how long he served. He also had a service connected illness. He received a percentage of compensation and was entitled to VA Medical all his life. He was stationed in Korea during the "conflict" there. As far as I know I am the only one  he talked about what happened there. I promised not to tell. Even after his death, I do not think I have told about it. I may have, but I tried not to break my promise.

Greg was in the army for awhile. I thought it was much later than this picture indicates, but I was young and I could be very wrong. He did not serve very long. He decided to leave, it did not work out well.

Family Pets

I can't think of a Cuningham/Cunningham who didn't have a pet. Some did NOT like cats, but everybody liked dogs. There are a lot of pets out there and we can certainly add photos of more of them as this blog goes on. Melony, for sure has had ferrets, a horse, dogs of all sorts and parrots. All of us on this blog will have children and grandchildren who will want to know what pets were in your life. "Did you have a puppy Nana/Gramma?" "No dear, I had a ferret." 

So this page will start with pets long ago:

There is no picture of Ying Yow. But you can imagine. He was a full size Fox Terrier golden colored and had all the good and bad qualities of the breed. He loved and protected "Little Georgia" and her mother (Nana/Pearl Cuningham), he no use at all for anyone else.

Sissy (Pearl Cuningham Davenport) had a parakeet named Mikey. Actually she had several, but she didn't know it. Sissy was protected from the untimely death of several parakeets by her Mama. We would go to a store called W.T. Grants and buy a new one. When Sissy would wonder why Mikey stopped talking it was always the same answer: "Mikey is molting." Nana/Pearl was a great bird trainer and in a couple more weeks the new parrot would be screaming: "Sissy!!!" or "Mikey" and soon after that "Mikey love Sissy"! Nana/Momma Pearl and I would bury the old Mikey with great reverence in a Maxwell House coffee can in the flower garden.

Mikey's cage. Mikey picture was very over exposed and there has been "Artistic License" taken.

Then there was Bing, he was at his largest ten pounds. A Toy Fox Terrier with the mind and spirit of a well trained 75 pound Bull Terrier. He came home on a Syracuse City bus in Sissy/Pearl's handbag. Sissy was worried that he would make noise because no animals were allowed on a city bus.

There are quite a few pictures of Bing. He liked his photo taken:

Nana with puppy Bing

Gregory Cuningham with Bing. (I don't think Greg cared for small dogs.)

Young Georgia. Puppies let kids do anything with them.

Bing at full size looking very good.

Georgia's pet was Fluffy the cat. Nobody liked Fluffy the Cat. He was not allowed inside. When Georgia went to bed she would open the window and Fluffy the cat would sleep on her bed with her and Teddy the Bear. One winter we moved to a flat in Syracuse and Fluffy the Cat was lost before we moved. In the spring Fluffy the Cat showed back up scrawny, matted and NOT very Fluffy. After that Grandpoppa Cuningham let Fluffy the cat in the house any old time. Grandpoppa Cuningham was a "softee."

Fluffy the Cat and Bing

Fluffy the Cat all by herself.

Fluffy the Cat and Bing were friends. Fluffy the Cat was about the size of Bing when he/she, was only six months old. Fluffy was a very large cat.

Mean Fluffy and Teddy the Bear

Tonight I am writing this blog and listening to my Mean Fluffy snoring in the kitchen. When she was born about a year and a half ago, she had two sisters, Pretty Fluffy and Gorgeous Fluffy. We named Mean Fluffy, Mean Fluffy, because, well... she was mean. When they took their neutering trip to the SPCA in Ithaca, NY, the SPCA ladies begged to keep Pretty Fluffy and Gorgeous Fluffy because they were so beautiful and the sweetest cats they had ever met. They already had homes for them after just these few hours after their neutering surgery. Mean Fluffy's nose is reddish brown and you remember, she was Mean  Fluffy. We took her back home. She is the Sweetest Fluffy of all the Fluffies.



In this picture of the Mean Fluffy is sitting with Teddy the Bear. My brothers fought over the possession of Teddy The Bear until all four legs were torn off and Teddy the Bear lost his head. I ended up with Teddy the Bear. I am a sucker for hopeless causes.  I have moved several times and some of those times carried only what I had on my back and could carry in a pillow case. Teddy the Bear has always traveled with me.




Finally we have a picture of the Unknown Dog. Maybe it was one that Jim had when he came home from the Army. Maybe after he got married.

If you know about Unknown Dog, tell his story and it will be added to the Cuningham/Cunninngham family group.

The Unknown Dog

Cuningham Family

Cuningham/Cunningham and Clark Family
by Georgia E. (Cuningham) Warren 

This whole blog began as an envelope of pictures sent to me by my niece Melony (Cunningham) Karlik. But, it has to be more. There are two families here with interesting histories. One, the Cuningham/Cunningham of my father George Frederick Cuningham, the other my mother  Pearl Bell Clark (Cuningham).

Most of the pictures in the pages of this blog were taken either by Pearl Cuningham or James Alexander Cunningham George and Pearl's son).  The pictures my mother took reflected daily life and be light and sometimes funny. Most of them I remember. I am Jim's sister, Georgia, I was young and some of the pictures are faded both on the paper they are printed on and in my memory. You will in one way or another see all of us. I will do my best to tell you the stories that go with them.

The pictures Jim sent back to his mother were from Army life or pictures he took in Germany in the early 1950s.

If you know something more, let me know and I will add them to this blog. If you have other pictures send me scans and I will add them.

Now, it is time to start this post. I can't start writing about my family  without starting a bit further back. I need to tell you about Aunt Roxie Franklin. I can't talk about Aunt Roxie without starting a bit further back.

Those of us related to the Cunningham directly descended from Benjamin Franklin, yes, that Benjamin Franklin. 

Ben in his favorite hat, he wore this in France

.

Ben the way most of us think about him.

Aunt Roxie was Ben Franklin's 5th or 6th great niece. She was very rich. From what George Frederick  Cuningham (my father) said she never married. Her Sister married Judson Cuningham (George Cuningham's parents) gave him a lot of her money and he became wealthy and owned a meat processing company in Rochester, NY. 

Now you notice my father spelled his last name differently than Jim Cunningham  that's not a mistake. I spelled my name Cuningham as well. It's ar long story, I am sure to tell it all to you before all of these pages are finished. It's exciting and involves religion, curses, Pagan people and more. 

Aunt Roxie moved to California, after Grandpoppa Judson Cuningham's  wife died he came to live with Grandpoppa George F. Cuningham (Melony's  grandfather) and his wife Pearl (Nana). 

Aunt Roxie gave Grandpoppa George Cuningham and Pearl Cuningham $5000 while Jim was in the army.  We all lived on Breckheimer Rd., outside of Little France NY.

A lot of the money was spent on upgrading the house and  a brand new car was purchased from PENOYER Ford dealer in Central Square, NY. It was the first and I believe the only new car Grandpoppa Cuningham ever had.

Now my dears, you get to see some pictures. 

House on Breckheimer. New chimney, scaffolding, driveway torn up.

Back of house, back porch torn off new doors being put on.

Back yard during renovation. Bing the dog.

View from back yard most of the year.

The trip to the Rochester Lilac Festival

George Frederick (Grandpoppa) Cuingham, Pearl (Nana) Cuningham & George Frederick Cuningham Jr. and me

Back to Aunt Roxie Franklin. She came back to Rochester for awhile. It was  during the Lilac Festival at Highland Park. I'm not sure exactly what year we were there. I'm pretty sure it was before she gave us all that money. But we dressed up. It was the the early 1950s, people dressed up to visit relatives and to visit the Lilac Festival. We were NOT over dressed. I have no pictures of her. I was around 7 or 8 years old. I tried to be good, I knew she was an important person to my parents. I couldn't find any pictures of Aunt Roxie.

Franklin House in Monroe County, NY Built in th 1870s

Now on to the Lilac Festival:

George and Pearl

Pearl being silly

George and Pearl

Pearl playing model

George with his cigar

George Frederick Cuningham Jr. (Freddie

Me Georgia E. (Cuningham) Warren